Randolph's Leap – Real Anymore
It’s tough to dislike a band like Randolph’s Leap. Their bright, a-bit-folk-but-kinda-indie-rock sound, and sharp as a box of self-reverential brass tacks ethos, fits so neatly into the Scottish tradition. And even though the band themselves acknowledge the above in the chuckle-worthy Indie King, it doesn’t make it any less true, or any less difficult for the nine members to carve out a unique identity.
Founder and frontman Adam Ross has clearly given the 'twee' label some thought, and decided that wit will out (or that he couldn’t give a cup of camomile tea what anybody calls his band...). This mini-album is peppered with enough laugh-out-loud lines to make a stand up comic blush; Psychic – the tale of a skint worker turning to clairvoyance phonecalls to make ends meet – is a particular treasure. Though it’s the opening, more sombre note of Conversation which hints at the emotional heft of which the band are capable, after the laughs have subsided.